The Lodge, Cottages in Dumfries and Galloway | Scottish Cottages Dumfries & Galloway holiday guide About the local area Loch Ryan is a sea loch which acts as a natural harbour providing calm waters for the ferries operating between Scotland and Northern Ireland. A voyaging ferry ablaze with lights against a clear night time sky is a sight to behold! Stranraer is the largest settlement on the loch’s shores and the town is reached in just over a mile; a very pleasant walk along the loch side. For children Agnew Park has pedal boats, train rides, an adventure playground and crazy golf and thanks to its unique geographical position the area is touched by the warm breezes of the Gulf Stream, however if it does rain there is always the leisure pool! As one would expect from the gentle climate, this country has some beautiful, diverse and spectacularly stunning gardens on offer including, Logan Botanic Gardens, Castle Kennedy and Glenwhan gardens, all being within a short distance. With around 200 miles of amazing coastline on offer, the area boasts some stunning beaches and on many days the only footprints in the sand will be your own.

The coastline north and south of Portpatrick is indented with secluded bays and beaches - Morroch Bay, Sandeel Bay, Lairds Bay and perhaps the loveliest of them all, Killantringan. Portpatrick is cradled at the foot of rocky cliffs and looks across 22 miles of the Irish Channel to Donaghdee. This is where the annual lifeboat week and the acclaimed folk festival is held. Just down the road from here is Port Logan where the BBC’s 2000 Acres of Sky was filmed. Stranraer is a great centre for the serious walker and it is skirted by the Southern Upland Way which runs 212 miles from Portpatrick in the west across the South of Scotland to Cockburnspath on the east coast. If you wish to venture a little further then head for the Galloway Hills where there is some seriously challenging walking to be had. The area is a haven for golfing enthusiasts with a plethora of excellent courses; 18 holes of golf at Creachmore, Glenluce or Dunskey at Portpatrick.

Further east is a championship course at Southerness and you could spend a day in the area calling in at the Artisit’s Town of Kirkcudbright, The Granite Town of Dalbeattie and Scotland’s Book town at Wigtown. Let’s not forget the cycling enthusiasts too as the area has a good choice of world class cycling on offer with various venues offering the 7Stanes world acclaimed mountain biking experience. A really different experience would be to visit Logan Fish Pond, a fish larder for storing live sea fish within a natural rock formation on the shore. Recent additions to the original pond now include Touch Pools, Cave quarium and Gift Shop. On the rocks next to the Fish Pond is the Bathing Hut, now restored and open for viewing. Since early times the area’s proximity to Ireland has established close links with the Emerald Isle and why not take the fast ferry across the water and see for yourself how green it is on the other side! Belfast has some excellent shopping on offer for a day of retail therapy. Scotland’s most southerly point is at the Mull of Galloway which unbelievably is further south than Hartlepool.

On a clear day, Ireland, The Isle of Man and Cumbria are visible! Things to do nearby Stranraer Feature Page on Undiscovered Scotland Castle of St John Stranraer is the largest settlement in south west Scotland. It lies at the head of Loch Ryan, on the north side of the neck of land that prevents the Rhins of Galloway becoming an island. The town's origins date back nearly 500 years to the building in 1511 of Stranraer Castle, also known as the Castle of St John. This now stands in the centre of the town, but it was originally built behind the broad beach at the head of Loch Ryan. Only later did a settlement begin to grow around it. The Castle of St John now houses a museum, while the excellent Stranraer Museum can be found in the old town hall. By 1600 it had become the market town for the Rhins of Galloway to the west and the rural areas to the east. In the 1760s Stranraer was reached by a military road built from Bridge of Sark on the English border via Dumfries to Portpatrick.

This in turn led to Stranraer featuring on the drove route used by Irish cattle being moved to market in Dumfries. It was only in the mid 1700s that a harbour was first built in Stranraer itself, and further port development took place in the 1820s. But it was the coming of the railway from Dumfries in 1861 which finally established Stranraer as the area's main port. In 1862 the line was extended to serve the harbour directly, and in the same year a link to Portpatrick was also opened. Some time later a rail connection north to Girvan was established. For much of the following 150 years Stranraer was unchallenged as the natural location for the main Scottish port for the Irish ferries. Roll-on roll-off ferries appeared on the Irish routes well ahead of elsewhere in the UK. This played a part in the loss of 133 lives on 31 January 1953 when the MV Princess Victoria's car deck was swamped by heavy seas en route from Stranraer, and the ship sank off Northern Ireland.

In the 1970s P&O moved their services from Stranraer to a new terminal built nearer the mouth of Loch Ryan at Cairnryan and in 2000 the SeaCat fast catamaran service from Belfast was switched from Stranraer to Troon. In late 2011 Stena also moved their Stranraer operations to Cairnryan. But despite these setbacks, Stranraer has rather more going for it than usually gets mentioned in the guide books. The town centre is surprisingly attractive and bustling, and while it helps to see it on a sunny day, the whites and bright colours of many of the buildings make it brighter in any light. Stranraer also serves as the gateway to the Rhins of Galloway. Roads from here head north to Leswalt and south past Drummore to the Mull of Galloway, Scotland's most southerly point. And west lies Portpatrick, now a beautiful resort complete with harbour. Another link with Portpatrick is provided by the Southern Upland Way long distant footpath, which begins there and passes just to the south of Stranraer itself en route to the North Sea.

Stranraer: Historical perspective for Stranraer This edition is copyright © The Editors of the Gazetteer for Scotland, 2002-2016. It has taken much time and money to make the six-volumes of Groome's text freely accessible. Please help us continue and develop by making a donation. If only one out of every ten people who view this page gave £5 or $10, the project would be self-sustaining. Sadly less than one in thirty-thousand contribute, so please give what you can. Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry Stranraer, a town and- a parish at the head of Loch Ryan in Wigtownshire. A royal, parliamentary, and police burgh, a seat of trade, a seaport, and the capital of the W of Wigtownshire, the town stands on the Portpatrick railway (1861), 7¾ miles NE of Portpatrick, 58¾ SSW of Ayr, 72¾ WSW of Dumfries, and 162½ (by road 128) SW of Edinburgh.

It includes a portion called Tradeston in Inch parish, and portions called Sheuchan and Hillhead in Leswalt parish ; is bisected nearly through the middle by a streamlet, which has now been arched over at all points where it comes in view of the public streets ; occupies broken ground, with such inequalities of surface as are un favourable for scenic effect, and even disadvantageous for facile traffic ; and, though consisting chiefly of modern streets and possessing a large amount of handsome or elegant architecture, presents very little regularity or tastefulness of arrangement. One street, about 3 furlongs in length, runs with a curvature along the margin of Loch Ryan ; another, of about equal length, but commencing further to the E, goes bendingly in somewhat the same direction ; a third, about 3½ furlongs in length, beginning at a point opposite the E end of the first and nearly the middle end of -the second, goes also in somewhat the same direction ; seven others, each from 100 to 200 yards in length, cross these in various directions ; and some clustered rows of houses stand in the outskirts.

Entire streets, formed towards the end of last century, contained originally, and much more contain now, many houses equal to the best in some of the richer and more populous towns in the kingdom ; but they were allowed- to take any line or curve or bend which caprice or accident might dictate, so that they exhibit scarcely any symmetry or grace in the grouping of their edifices. The plain old TownHall, erected in 1855, is now used as a volunteer drillhall and armoury. The new Town-Hall and Court House was erected in 1872-73, after designs by Mr Wardrop of Edinburgh, at a cost of £7000. It is a fine Scottish Baronial edifice, two stories high, with a tower and spire, a court room, a police office, etc. The prison was closed in 1882, along with many other local prisons in Scotland, and the building is now used as a private dwelling. All prisoners sentenced at the court here to more than 14 days' imprisonment are now sent to the central prison at Maxwelltown, Dumfries-those to less than 14 days to the local prison at Wigtown.

Stranraer or Kennedy's Castle, almost hidden by other buildings, in the centre of the town, is a baronial fortalice founded towards the close of the 15th century. Consisting of whinstone, with corners and lintels of sandstone, it has thick walls and small windows, crow-stepped gables and pepper-box turrets, and in 1682 became the residence of the ` Bloody Claverse, ' as sheriff of Galloway. Stranraer parish church is a plain, substantial building of 1841, and contains 1084 sittings. Sheuchan Established church, a handsome edifice, with a conspicuous square bell-tower, was built as a chapel of ease in 1842, and became parochial in 1868. Stranraer Free church is a plain building of the Disruption period, containing 728 sittings ; but-for the Sheuchan Free church congregation, a fine new church was opened in August 1884. It is situated in King Street, contains 550 sittings, and cost over £2000. Ivy Place U.P.

church, built in 1840, contains 750 sittings ; and a handsome new church, erected by the West U.P. congregation, was opened in October 1884. It is situated in Lewis Street, close to the Court House, contains 500 sittings, and cost about £3000. The Reformed Presbyterian church was built in 1824, and contains 710 sittings. The United Original Secession church was built in 1843 ; and St Joseph's Roman Catholic church (400 sittings) in 1853. The Stranraer Academy, built in 1845 at a cost of £2000, passed, in terms of the Education Act of 1872, to the burgh school board ; and is conducted by three masters, two mistresses, and four assistant teachers. The burgh school board had in 1884 three schools under their charge-the Academy, with 445 on the roll ; the Sheuchan school, with 250 ; and the elementary school, with 450.

The total expenditure of the board was £1911, 2s. 3d., being at the rate of £2, 5s. 10½d. per scholar in average attendance. The board have ten certificated teachers under them, seven ex-pupil teachers, and seven pupil teachers. Stranraer Reformatory (1859) is licensed-to contain 100 boys ; and the Wigtownshire Combination Poorhouse has accommodation for 352 inmates. Other institutions are a public reading-room, a public library, an athenæum, an agricultural society, and some philanthropic, religious, and miscellaneous associations. The town has a post office, with money order, savings' bank, and telegraph departments ; a railway station, and a branch- railway to the harbour ; offices of the British Linen Company, the Clydesdale, the Commercial, the National, and the Union Banks ; offices or agencies of 26 insurance companies ; gasworks (1840) ; and 4 principal hotels, called the King's Arms, the Commercial, the George, and the Albion.

A Liberal newspaper, the Galloway Advertiser and Wigtownshire Free Press (1843), is published every Thursday. A weekly market is held on Friday ; cattle fairs are held on the third Friday of April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November ; horse fairs are held on the Monday before the first Wednesday of January, the Thursday in June before Kelton Hill, and the Monday before the second Thursday of October ; and a hiring fair is held on the first Friday of May. Manufactures, on any considerable scale, are prevented by the want of waterpower, and the high price of fuel. The employments of the inhabitants are mainly such as are common to towns situated in the centre of agricultural districts. There is an engineering and locomotive works in connection with the Portpatrick railway, employing between 30 and 40 men. The handloom weaving and nail-making trades formerly carrie on are now defunct. Some fishing, chiefly for white fish and oysters, is carried on in Loch Ryan ; and, during the winter herring fishing on Ballantrae Banks, a large number of boats make Stranraer their headquarters, owing to the excellent harbour accommodation and railway facilities.

A large general trade, for the W of Wigtownshire, is conducted in the exchange of country produce for imported goods. The healthiness of the town and its capacity of uniting the facilities of a market with many of the advantages of a country life, have rendered it the adopted home of a considerable number of respectable annuitants. The commerce was so small in 1764 that only two vessels, of 30 or 35 tons each, belonged to the port ; and it since has alternately increased and dwindled, the aggregate tonnage belonging to the port being 1732 in 1801, 2684 in 1818, 1481 in 1855, 2969 in 1868, and 1373 in 1884. The port had formerly a customhouse jurisdiction, from Sandhouse in Carleton Bay to the Mull of Galloway, and thence to the S side of Gillespie Burn, but it has now been merged in Ayr.

Owing to the increase in the railway facilities due to the opening of the Girvan and Portpatrick railway in 1877, the shipping trade of the port has declined rather than advanced since that time. The harbour has a long wooden pier of modern erection, hut is only tidal, and has not much depth of water ; vessels of from 60 to 100 tons come close to the town ; vessels of somewhat greater burden find good anchorage in the vicinity of the pier ; and vessels of 300 tons anchor at what is called the Road, about ¼ mile distant. On the opposite side of the harbour there is the Railway or East Pier, from which the steamers ply daily to and from Larne in Ireland by what is known as the ` short sea route ' (39 miles). It has water at all states of the tide for vessels of moderate draught. A steamer also sails weekly to Glasgow, and another fortnightly to Port William, Isle of Whithorn, Drumore, and Liverpool. The principal import is coal ; and the exports include shoes, leather, cheese, grain, and miscellaneous farm produce.

Sir James Caird, K.C.B., F.R.S., of Cassencarrie, the agricultural reformer, was born at Stranraer in 1816 ; and North West Castle was the residence of the famous Arctic explorer, Sir John Ross, K.C.B. (1777-1856), whose father was minister of Inch.. The town, which rose up around the castle and a preReformation chapel, was created a burgh of barony in 1596, and a royal burgh in 1617. It has adopted the General Police and Improvement Act of 1862, and is governed by a provost,2 bailies, a dean of guild, a treasurer, and 13 councillors, who also act as police commissioners. With Wigtown, Whithorn, and New Galloway it unites in sending a member to parliament ; but the Redistribution Bill of 1885 proposes to merge the burgh in- the county.

The sheriff court for the western division of the county is held on every Wednesday during session ; a sheriff small debt court is held on every alternate Wednesday during session ; and a justice of peace small debt court is held on the first Monday of every month. Corporation revenue (1833) £225, (1865) £272, (1884) £338. Parliamentary constituency (1885) 788 ; municipal, 1004. Valuation (1875) £14, 733, (1885) £22,151. Pop.

(1841) 4889, (1861) 6273, (1871) 5977, (1881) 6415, of whom 3402 were females, 6342 were in the parliamentary and police burgh, 3455 were in the royal burgh and parish of Stranraer, 3528 in Stranraer ecclesiastieal parish, 1506 in Inch parish, 1381 in Leswalt parish, and 73 on board ship. The parish of Stranraer, coextensive with the royal burgh, was formed out of Inch in 1628. It is bounded by Loch Ryan, Inch, and Leswalt ; and comprises 55¼ acres of land, and 35¾ acres of foreshore. Part is held in burgage ; part belongs to the Earl of Stair, and is let in leases of 99 and 999 years ; and part is subfeued by Agnew of Sheuchan. The Rev.

John Livingstone, (1603-72), a Covenanting divine, was minister from 1638 to 1648. Stranraer is the seat of a presbytery in the synod of Galloway ; the living is worth £286 ; whilst that of Sheuchan, with 533 inhabitants, is £237. The presbytery of Stranraer comprehends the quoad civilia parishes of Ballantrae, Colmonell, Inch, Kirkcolm, Kirkmaiden, Leswalt, New Luce, Old Luce, Portpatrick, Stoneykirk, and Stranraer, and the quoad sacra parishes of Arnsheen, Glenapp, Lochryan, and Sheuchan.-The Free Church also -has a presbytery of Stranraer, with churches at Cairnryan, Glenluce, Inch, Kirkcolm, Kirkmaiden, Leswalt, Portpatrick, Sheuchan, Stoneykirk, and Stranraer, and a preaching-station at New Luce.Ord. Sur., sh. 3, 1856.

An accompanying 19th C. Ordnance Survey map is available , or use the map tab to the right of this page. Note: This text has been made available using a process of scanning and optical character recognition. Despite manual checking, some typographical errors may remain. Please remember this description dates from the 1880s; names may have changed, administrative divisions will certainly be different and there are known to be occasional errors of fact in the original text, which we have not corrected because we wish to maintain its integrity. This information is provided subject to our standard disclaimer If you have found this information useful please consider making a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info... Stranraer Self-catering Cottages - Embrace Scotland, UK Extra Special Winter Breaks Stranraer Stranraer lies at the head of Loch Ryan. The town’s origins date back to 1511, when Stranraer Castle, also known as the Castle of St John, was built. The castle now houses a museum, and you can also visit the Stranraer Museum in the old town hall.

Three miles east of Stranraer you can explore Castle Kennedy Gardens, with its two lochs, giant lily pond and monkey puzzle trees. Accommodation Search Stranraer Dumfries & Galloway's Best Kept Secret... ...South West Scotland's Forgotten Corner Stranraer & The Rhins of Galloway Community & Tourist Information Site Stranraer The meaning behind Stranraer's name is centred around the town burn with Stran- as sruthï¿½n (Scottish Gaelic) meaning 'streamlet' or 'burn'. The second syllable -raer is either from reamhar (Scottish Gaelic) or ramhar (Irish Gaelic), both meaning 'fat' or 'thick'. So Stranraer is 'thick burn'. Or is it? Ramhar (Irish Gaelic) can also mean 'swarming' (as in with fish) so Stranraer could be 'burn swarming with fish' - this makes sense as the burn used to be an excellent place to fish.

Stranraer was first mentioned in the 14th century though there may have been a settlement here from as early as Roman times when a Roman road ran from Gatehouse of Fleet, via Dunragit, to Stranraer and continued up towards Cairnryan. Stranraer's life as a town really began in 1595 when Ninian Adair applied to King James VI to give Stranraer trading rights and a market. In the 17th and 18th centuries the town quickly expanded due to trade in textiles, tanning and fishing. Stranraer, much like Cairnryan, has it's history centred around the port with the first harbour being present in the mid 18th century. Further construction of the port occurred in the 1820s with the construction of the west pier. By the 1830s steam packets were making regular trips to Glasgow, Girvan and Belfast. Next came the railway to Stranraer in 1861, which, in those days came direct from Dumfries. The following year, the railway was extended to meet right up with the harbour and link up Portpatrick too.

It was in 1862 when the official ferry service to Belfast in Northern Ireland began. In 1863 the east pier was constructed and Stranraer was designated as the Royal Mail office for Ireland. In 1872 the ferries to Ireland changed their destination to Larne whereas today the ferries go to Belfast again. Stranraer and nearby Kirkcolm played an important role in the war with Winston Churchill himself taking a trip in a Boeing flying boat from Stranraer to the USA in 1942. Flying boats were stationed at Kirkcolm and the Supermarine Stranraer was named after the town. Now no longer a port, after Stena Line moved their ferry services closer to the mouth of Loch Ryan, (near Cairnryan ) in 2011, the town has been planning a redevelopment for the past few years. Don't Miss This in Stranraer... Castle of St John - Currently under renovation until 2010, this is now a museum of the building's past, though the tower has been used as a military fort, a prison (the cells were last used in 1907), a court and even a home.

The castle was built by the Adair family in the early 1500s. Make sure you climb to the top of the tower onto the roof (former prison exercise yard!) where you can see spectacular views over the town and Loch Ryan. Also look out for the fountain by the side of the castle green - this used to stand outside the old town hall (see below) and celebrates Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Stranraer Museum - once the town hall (built in 1776) but now hosts exhibits from Wigtownshire's past including displays on polar explorers Sir John Ross (who lived in the North West Castle - now a hotel) and nephew James Clark Ross. There are different exhibitions throughout the year on the upper floor so it's worth checking back regularly. Stranraer Town Trail - You can pick up a leaflet for this walk around Stranraer from the Tourist Information centre. The trail takes you round some of Stranraer's most historic and interesting buildings. Look out for the blue information plaques on walls along the way.

Loch Ryan Coastal Path - As suggested by the name, this footpath, established by the Rotary Club of Stranraer , takes you right along the coast of the unique sea loch of Loch Ryan, eventually meeting up with the Ayrshire Coast Path (if you're up for a long walk!) North West Castle Hotel - this was just the North West Castle until it was turned into a hotel. It was the home of arctic explorer Sir John Ross for whom the castle was built in 1820. Close by is the Garden of Friendship which dates from the 1920s and was featured on the BBC's Beechgrove Garden for a much needed upgrade. Agnew Park - park by the shore front with miniature railway, paddle boats, adventure playground, go carts and island. Memorial to the Princess Victoria ferry that sank in 1953. Ryan Centre - Leisure centre, cinema and theatre all rolled into one. 25m competition swimming pool, health suite, fitness suite/gym, games hall, cafe and theatre/cinema. Nearby Places to Visit...

Loch Ryan - A birdwatcher's (and seal watchers!) paradise - look out for divers, grebes, waders, ducks, terns, geese plus common and grey seals. Knockquhassan Reservoir - Reservoir with easy access from Southern Upland Way. Walk either way on the SUW from the reservoir and it's not long before you are rewarded with magnificent views. The reservoir supports fish and attracts many different species of birds. Featured Accommodation in and Around Stranraer Stranraer Visitor Guide, Hotels, Cottages, Things to Do in Scotland Travel Directions to Stranraer Ins and outs Transport links are all conveniently located close to each other. The train station is on the ferry pier, close to the Stena Line ferry terminal (Tel 08705-707070), from where car and passenger ferries leave for Belfast. A few minutes' walk south is the bus station. P&O ferries to Larne (Tel 08705-980666, leave from Cairnryan, 5 miles north of Stranraer on the A77.

Bus No 358 and X58 runs to Cairnryan from Stranraer. For information on buses and trains, see 'Transport' below. The Tourist Information Centre is at 28 Harbour St, Tel 702595. Apr-Jun, Oct and Nov Mon-Sat 0930-1730, Sun 1000-1600; Jul-Sep daily 0930-1800; Dec-Mar Mon-Sat 1000-1600. Transport Bus National Express (Tel 08705-808080, Go By Coach No 920 runs between London and Belfast via Stranraer - it's an overnight service. Stagecoach Western has a service from Glasgow (3 hrs) to Ayr (X77), change at Ayr for Stranraer. There are regular buses to Newton Stewart, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and other towns along the A75.

There are also regular daily buses to Ayr (2 hrs), and daily buses to Portpatrick (25 mins), Port Logan (35 mins) and Drummore (45 mins). There are several trains daily to Belfast via Larne. There's also a daily service to and from Glasgow (2 hrs) and Ayr (1 hr 20 mins). For all rail enquiries call Tel 08457-484950. Roads Local Sights & Activities for Stranraer Sights The main attraction is the medieval tower which is all that remains of the 16th-century Castle of St John, one of the main headquarters of Graham of Claverhouse, the fanatical persecutor of the Protestant Covenanters in the late 17th century. Many of them died in the castle dungeons. It was later used as a prison in the 19th century. Inside, an exhibition traces the castle's history. Info: Apr-mid Sep Mon-Sat 1000-1300 and 1400-1700. £1.20, concession £0.60.

Tel +44 (0)1776 705544. Also worth a peek is the Stranraer Museum on George Street, which features displays on local history and has a section devoted to the life of Arctic explorer Sir John Ross (1777-1856), whose expeditions to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific led to the discovery, in 1831, of the North Magnetic Pole. His house, called North West Castle, is now a hotel (see below). Info: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat 1000-1300, 1400-1700. Free. Tel +44 (0)1776 705088. Three miles east of Stranraer are Castle Kennedy Gardens, famous for their riotous rhododendrons and magnificent monkey puzzle trees. The 75 acres of landscaped gardens are set on a peninsula between two lochs and two castles (Castle Kennedy and Lochinch Castle). Info: Apr-Sep daily 1000-1700. £3, £2 concession.

Tel +44 (0)1776 702024. Loch Ryan, the huge inlet which protects Stranraer from the stormy Irish Sea, is a haven for a variety of birdlife. The mudflats of Wig Bay, on the western shore offer good opportunities for birdwatching. Corsewall Lighthouse Unique luxury property with spectacular coastal views. Ideal for romantic getaways and small weddings with award winning restaurant and Champagne breakfasts. Castles Nearby Stranraer coast guide Listings Stranraer - Portpatrick Coast Guide Stranraer is located at the western tip of Dumfries and Galloway - the south west corner of Scotland, which is reputed to be the warmest part in Scotland. Stranraer is situated at the southern end of Loch Ryan and is a resort and port with ferry connections to Ireland. For details of Stranraer Hotels and Holidays, Guest Houses, Cottages and to visit Attractions. Go to Stranraer Hotels Guest Houses and Attractions Stranraer is the closest UK port to Ireland, being only forty miles from Belfast and so it gets quite busy.

Crossing times, via the fast ferry are around 2 hours and run daily. Stranraer has several beaches, but travel a few miles out of the town to Sandhead and New England Bay for miles of sand, or all around the loch for pebbly beaches. The Sailing Club at Wig Bay is a haven for yachts of all sizes. For a really spectacular beach head south 5 miles to Luce Sands which extend for around five miles over looking Luce Bay. Over the years, Stranraer has served as a market town, seaport, garrison town and administrative centre. Today it is a great centre for those with leisure time to spend in the town and in the surrounding gentle countryside. Nearby is Castle Kennedy ancestral home of the famous clan. The castle is a ruin after a devastating fire in 1720. To the west of Stranraer, is Portpatrick, a small fishing village and the start/finish of the Southern Upland Way - a walking route that crosses Scotland to the North Sea coast to the east. This Britain's first official coast to coast route and stretches 212 miles across Scotland to finish at Cockburnspath, just south of Dunbar.

Portpatrick Around Stranraer Wigtown is around fifteen miles to the east of Stranraer and over looks Wigtown Bay - there is a small harbour which used to be busy until it silted up. Today it is a picturesque tourist centre and the ruins of Baldoon Castle are nearby. At Kirkcudbright, 40 miles to the east, there is another castle - MacLellan's Castle and a small harbour. To the south of Stranraer is Scotland's most southerly village - Drummore, used to be known for smugglers but is now frequented by sea anglers who are after a different kind of bounty!

Places to visit around Stranraer Castle of St John - Charlotte Street Stranraer Scotland T 01776 705544 Castle Kennedy Gardens - Stair Estates Stranraer Scotland DG9 8BX 01581 400225 Logan Botanic Garden - Port Logan, Ardwell, Stranraer, Wigtownshire DG9 9ND Tel: 01776 860231 Portpatrick - a small fishing and seaside resort with golf, water sports and fishing. Other sections of the guide you might also enjoy - see below. Attractions - see listings pages A huge selection of attractions are available within the coastal area and this section will have details of many of them. From piers and harbours to fun fairs and roller coasters, the listings will have details of what's available in your chosen area. For details of attractions look in the resort pages. The National Marine Aquarium - Plymouth Activities Whether your idea of an ideal activity is sunbathing or you prefer something more strenuous, the chances are that you will be able to pursue this at the coast.

There is a wide selection of activities that can be found on our coastline - these range from a gentle stroll to the next bay, to swimming and snorkelling, to more energetic activities such as sailing, surfing, windsurfing and kite sailing. See Activities section. We will bring you feature articles about the coastline and news items about life in the coastal area. contributions to this section are welcome. Pubs, restaurants and shopping guide The listings section will also have details of pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and shops available in the locality. Restaurants and shops coming soon..... The Beach Pub - Exmouth Scottish Castles Photo Library - Castle of St John, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway Scottish Castles Photo Library - Castle of St John, Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway The Castle of St John was built around 1510 in what was later to become Stranraer - it is sometimes called Stranraer Castle. This small town overlooks Loch Ryan on the west of Dumfries and Galloway, although before the reorganisation of local government in Scotland, Stranraer was in Wigtownshire.

The land on which it was built was owned by a family called Adair. They were probably of Irish origin (Northern Ireland is only 40 miles away as the crow flies) and they held lands around Portpatrick to the west in the early 1300s. There is even a legend that they were allocated the area by King Robert the Bruce for getting rid of the previous occupants - the Curries - who were notorious pirates. Like all successful families in those days, they expanded their territory and acquired the lands on which the Castle of St John now stands by 1484. Initially, they built a chapel dedicated to St John and it was not until around 1510 that they built a castle which was known variously as the Place of St John and Castle of Chapel. When the Burgh of Stranraer was created in 1595, its Charter specifically excluded the castle and grounds - but in favour of an Elizabeth Kennedy. Indeed, from 1600 onwards the Adairs concentrated on their lands in Ireland. The Castle of St John remained part of the Kennedy's estates until 1670 - at which point it was taken over by the Dalrymples of Stair.

Sir James Dalrymple of Stair also obtained Castle Kennedy itself around the same time. Towards the end of the 17th century, the Castle of St John was used by the government to garrison troops who were trying to suppress the Covenanters, a religious movement that wanted to maintain the Presbyterian form of worship, where control was devolved to the individual church parishes. Although the government at that time was still in Edinburgh (the Union of the Parliaments of Scotland and England did not occur until 1707), King Charles I in London was trying to impose an episcopal system on both countries - with himself at its head and governing from the top down. Charles I lost his head in the Civil War and his son, King Charles II, was defeated at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 and had to flee. But King Charles II was restored in 1660 and soon resumed the efforts to impose an episcopal form of worship which the Covenanters resisted.

In 1678, John Graham of Claverhouse (known as "Bonnie Dundee" or "Bloody Clavers" depending on which side you were on) was based at the Castle of St John while in command of troops in the south west, savagely suppressing the local Covenanters. In the 18th century the castle was little used and in 1815 it was purchased with a view to it becoming the jail for the area. In the following years it served that purpose - but gained a reputation for allowing too many prisoners to escape. Not that the building was insecure - but the jailers were often drunk and left the doors open! It continued in the role of prison until 1907. By that time it was surrounded by the shops and offices of a modern small town. In the 1960s, buildings surrounding the Castle of St John were demolished, leaving only the main tower - which was restored and became a museum and visitor attraction in 1988/89. The illustrations of Covenanters and their flags were taken inside the castle. Return to the Castles Photo Library Index or go to the next castle: Where else would you like to go in Scotland? Links Pages

Question: The Scottish coastal town of Stranraer stands at the head of which loch?
Answer: Loch Ryan